‘Practical Magic 2’ Casts a Box Office Spell With Stronger-Than-Expected Previews

Legacy sequels have had a rocky track record over the past few years, with plenty of nostalgic follow-ups struggling to translate old fan bases into new ticket sales. Warner Bros. has watched several of its own bets in 2026 underperform, making the studio’s fall lineup feel like it needed a genuine win.

Enter ‘Practical Magic 2,‘ a film that arrives nearly three decades after its 1998 predecessor became more of a cult favorite than a theatrical hit. Reuniting Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the spellbound Owens sisters, the sequel had reviewers largely unconvinced heading into release, with critics keeping it well below fresh territory.

None of that seems to have mattered to opening weekend audiences. ‘Practical Magic 2’ pulled in an estimated $4.7 million during Thursday preview screenings, a number that significantly outpaced several comparable films and signaled real heat behind the sequel heading into its first full weekend.

That preview haul lands well above recent counterparts in similar genres and star-driven categories, including ‘The Lost City,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ and ‘Wuthering Heights.’ It’s also nearly double what 2021’s ‘Jungle Cruise’ managed in its own preview window, underscoring just how much pull Bullock and Kidman still carry together on screen.

Warner Bros. is now projecting a domestic opening weekend somewhere in the $30 million to $40 million range, with some estimates pushing as high as $45 million if momentum holds. That would represent a massive leap from the original film’s modest $13.1 million debut back in October 1998.

For context, the first ‘Practical Magic’ never became a theatrical blockbuster, finishing its entire run with $46.7 million domestically and $94.4 million worldwide. It only became a genuine cultural touchstone later, through years of cable reruns and streaming rediscovery that kept Sally and Gillian Owens relevant long after their theatrical run ended.

This new installment carries a production budget in the $75 million to $78 million range, meaning even the lower end of its opening projections would mark significant progress toward profitability. International estimates are also tracking well, with the studio expecting another $18 million to $25 million from overseas markets, pushing the global opening total toward the $50 million to $65 million range.

Directed by Susanne Bier, ‘Practical Magic 2’ picks up decades after the original, following the Owens sisters as they confront a resurfacing family curse alongside a new generation. Joey King joins the cast as Sally’s daughter Kylie, with Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest, Lee Pace, Xolo Maridueña, and Solly McLeod rounding out the ensemble.

The sequel currently sits in the mid-30s percent range on Rotten Tomatoes, a score that closely mirrors how critics originally received the first film nearly thirty years ago. That similarity hasn’t gone unnoticed by industry watchers, many of whom point out that lukewarm reviews never stopped ‘Practical Magic’ from becoming a beloved staple in the first place.

If anything, the preview numbers suggest audiences are treating this release the same way they eventually treated the original: as comfort viewing built around two magnetic leads rather than a film chasing critical acclaim. Nostalgia, star power, and the pull of spooky season all appear to be working in the sequel’s favor this weekend.

‘Practical Magic 2’ also arrives at a symbolic moment for the domestic box office, with the film positioned to knock ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ out of the top spot after a lengthy, record-setting run. That superhero blockbuster has spent weeks closing in on the all-time domestic box office record, making this weekend’s shakeup all the more notable for casual chart watchers.

Whether ‘Practical Magic 2’ can sustain this early energy through the rest of its run remains to be seen, but its opening numbers already suggest Warner Bros. may have found its fall counterprogramming hit. Between the built-in nostalgia and two stars audiences clearly still want to watch together, the film looks positioned to outperform expectations set by its critical reception alone.

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